Twas the Night Before Book Launch…

Tomorrow is release day for THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. One of the bloggers who interviewed me this week asked about my plans for the big day…September first. My mind raced…

I’m supposed to have plans for the release date? Well…I guess I’ll probably get up and have coffee. Wait…are we out of creamer? I think we’re out of creamer. Need creamer. Let’s see…what else…? I did get my new sneakers, finally, so I’ll probably go running. And hey…September first is a Tuesday, right? I’ll need to get J to cross country practice, and I have to get groceries because we were away over the weekend and there’s not much in the fridge…even if we do have creamer, which I doubt.

Finally, I had the sense to talk about my upcoming launch party at Flying Pig Books, how we’ll have the Great Tree Identification Challenge for kids and Nonna’s famous funeral cookies. But that’s not until Saturday, September 5th – five days after the fact.

Here’s a secret about launch day. That magical day your book is released into the world. That day you’ve been waiting for forever and ever, or at least it feels that way.

It reminds me a little of my tenth birthday. I remember getting out of bed, knowing that everything was different, and yet I felt just the same. How could that be possible? I was ten! TEN! I was a decade, all by myself! Shouldn’t there have been fireworks or marching bands or something?

Despite the lack of a parade, it was a great birthday, and I went to bed that night with the knowledge that I’d crossed a milestone. Double digits. I’d never be just nine again, and just the quiet knowing was enough.

I expect that’s sort of what tomorrow will be like. The party will come later — and we’ll do some fun stuff here online, too, including a big contest and giveaway for book clubs — but tomorrow will be that quieter milestone. What will I be doing on release day? Maybe that morning run. Definitely the groceries. And then a little hiking – because the leaves are just starting to turn, and a mountaintop in the Adirondacks seems like as good a place as any to celebrate a book about fall.